The present invention is related to access conduits for allowing an underground valve or other underground mechanism to be operated from an aboveground position.
Flow control valves used with underground water pipes often include underground actuating mechanisms that must be operated from an aboveground position. Typically, the actuating mechanism takes the form of a nut secured to the outer housing of the valve. Rotating the nut causes a flow control device of the valve to move between a fully open and a fully closed position. This varies the effective cross-sectional area through which fluid can flow, and thus adjusts the flow rate through the section of piping. An access conduit is often provided to allow an aboveground user to access and operate the actuating nut by extending a tool known as a valve key through the conduit.
Typically, an access conduit is provided by vertically positioning a length of piping, known as riser pipe, over the actuating nut. Once the riser pipe is situated, the areas surrounding the riser pipe and valve are backfilled with dirt, rock or other fill material. No mechanism or structure is provided to seat or otherwise secure the conduit in a desired position relative to the valve. Accordingly, the conduit must be manually held in place while the surrounding areas are backfilled. This complicates and slows installation of the access conduit. In addition, it is not uncommon for shifting or settling of the access conduit to occur either during or after the backfilling operation. This may result in the access conduit becoming unleveled or off-center, as respectively depicted on the left and right sides of FIG. 1, making it more difficult to operate the actuating nut with a valve tool inserted through the conduit. Access to and operation of the actuating mechanism is further complicated by the tendency of debris to accidentally enter the riser pipe and accumulate around the actuating nut.
The present invention provides a valve cover for enclosing an underground area surrounding the actuating mechanism of a flow control valve. The valve cover includes a body having a structure configured to position the valve cover in a desired orientation relative to the flow control valve. This positioning structure may be at least partially elastomeric, and configured to resiliently deform and urge against the flow control valve when the valve cover body is placed over the valve actuating mechanism. This maintains the valve cover body seated in a centered, leveled orientation relative to the valve actuating mechanism. The positioning structure may also be formed as a spacer configured to contact the valve actuating mechanism itself and space the actuating mechanism from the valve cover body. The positioning structure and valve cover body are configured so that, when they are installed, a valve tool may be freely inserted into the enclosed underground area and operatively engaged with the valve actuating mechanism.